Woman to Watch: Judine Saint-Gerard

DREAM CHASER: Judine was having a tough year. It was 2013, and she was struggling with a difficult break up and debilitating mental health. She had also just recently graduated and assumed that would mean a seat at corporate America’s table. And it did, but to her surprise, her heart crafted a different plan. “I remember being conflicted in college because I was applying for consulting jobs, but I knew I really wanted to be a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach,” Judine recalls. “I ended up declining my original job offer and decided to pursue what I felt I truly wanted.” Now, she’s working to develop a program for her clients that goes beyond personal training to include everything from nutrition to fit-lifestyle coaching.

On Missing Her Shot at Pro Status:

“I shrugged it off and got back to work.”

Creating a career in fitness was a welcomed all-consuming endeavour for Judine that left little space to sweat the small stuff, but it wasn’t until she added fitness competitions to her resume that she felt everything was falling into place.

Winning her first-ever Bikini competition was an instant confidence boost for Judine, but the road to earning her Pro Card wasn’t easy. After two missed opportunities, she had to dig deep to get back on stage. “I reconfigured my training strategy, gave it my all, and woke up every morning telling myself I was a WBFF Pro,” she says, and her visualization paid off in June 2014 when she was crowned the Boston Fitness champ, taking first place in her division and earning Pro status.